Hi all, I’m a junior in high school and am looking to go to USAFA so tell me what you think. Here’s my stats.
Academic
GPA = Weighted 4.0, Unweighted 3.7
SAT = haven’t taken yet but practice SAT’s scored 1450
National Chemistry Olympiad Finalist (top 20/1000), didn’t pass study camp for internationals (top 6/20)
-California Scholarship Federation
Will be taking PSAT to go for hispanic merit scholar program
Athletic
Varsity since sophomore year in xc and track, soph runner of the year
xc and track team captain
ran at state meet, trying again this year
-JV Tennis
Extra
Advanced peer counselor (Run school assemblies and activities that usually has a theme such as mental health/gratitude/resilience every year and provide support to students who reach out to us)
Working a part time job as a mentor for elementary school students
Started a games club for new students to get to know other new students and upperclassmen
Started a Non-profit charity that donates used running shoes of high school athletes in my community to be sent to high schools of disadvantaged communities at the end of every season
Personal
Hispanic
both parents did not attend college
Self taught pianist for over probably 500 songs memorized but just love playing it
Stats are good, but the academy is completely overrated. I would suggest getting an ROTC scholarship to a school like Texas A&M or UCI. You’ll be a lot happier going to a school that treats you like an adult.
Service academies are very particular places, potentially the best place on earth for some people. But they’re not for everyone. There are multiple paths to commissioning because there are many different types of people in the world. Visit if you can, talk to people in the service when possible, and above all consider why you want to go to an academy. “Completely over-rated” is one perspective, but clearly it’s not the only one as thousands apply each year and the USAFA has been at capacity for ages.
I already know I want to go to the air force academy. The financing is great like you stated, and I do want to become an officer when I graduate and have a government or some sort of leadership position when I’m older. It’s definitely what I want to do. Any suggestions from here?
The best way to get in is through sports. If you think you can be recruited for one of your sports, contact the coaches . Leadership is more important than it is at other schools so get involved in activities where you can show leadership.
The best advice I can give is to complete the application correctly and before the deadline. Get your Congressional Nomination paperwork in so you can get an interview. Go to your AP/Honors english instructor and have them proof your essays… multiple times. The academy does not care about you 4.0, Varsity athlete, or a 1460 SAT. Everyone has that. As long as you meet their average, you’re playing on the same field as everyone else in the country who gets exactly the same stats. Where it matters is the, Captain of XYZ, the National Competitions, the Leadership, and community outreach. You stand out where others are average.
Get your application in (pre-candidate), get your nomination paperwork in. That is half the battle
As I post over and over on this forum, no one can chance anyone for a service academy. See any of my replies to any “chance me” post in the USM/NA subforums. The info holds for USAFA, too, but read ChristCorp’s response to the nervous dad in this thread on the SA forum for a very thorough examination of why chancing for any SA is fruitless:
